Hitchin Town steward, 40, who was adopted as a baby finds he is the sole heir to £200m fortune after discovering his long-lost father is legendary US boxing commentator ‘The Colonel’ Bob Sheridan
- Simon Edwards made discovery after tracking down extended family in Ireland
- He contacted Sheridan via an agency as the commentator laid his wife to rest
- ‘The Colonel’ said he ‘knew he was my boy’ the very first time he spoke to him
A non-league football steward who was adopted as a baby is the sole heir to a £200m fortune after discovering his long-last father is legendary boxing commentator Bob Sheridan.
Simon Edwards made the incredible discovery about his birth parents after tracking down extended family in Galway, Ireland.
The 40-year-old contacted Sheridan, who covered the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974, via an agency just as the commentator laid his wife to rest.
He has since established regular contact with his father and is due to fly to Las Vegas to visit his plush £145m mansion.
Furthermore, Simon has been inundated with messages of support from celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie.
Simon Edwards, who was adopted as a child, found out the truth about his birth parents after tracking down extended family in Galway, Ireland
Sheridan, nicknamed The Colonel, told the Sun: ‘The first time I spoke to him I knew he was my boy. He sounds like me, he talks the same way as me.
‘It’s just been such a blessing, I can’t wait to meet him and take him to meet my brother’s family in Boston.’
In tracking down his extended family to Galway, Simon found his birth mother Rosemary died in 1985, five years after he was born and put up for adoption in east London.
British Aerospace scientist Mike Edwards and his wife Sue, a healthcare worker, took him in and he still considers them to be his ‘real parents’.
Simon, a cost controller who also works part-time as a steward for Hitchin Town FC in Hertfordshire, added: ‘To other people it must seem amazing that this famous person is my dad, but for me it’s amazing to just know who my dad is and be in touch with him.
‘I’d probably still be as blown-away if he was a plumber from down the road.’
The 40-year-old contacted Bob Sheridan (pictured), who covered the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974, via an agency just as the commentator laid his wife to rest
Sheridan, pictured with Mike Tyson, has covered more than 10,000 fights including 100 heavyweight title bouts
Simon has now adopted the nickname Colonel Jnr as he continues to bond with his father, who confirmed the relationship by DNA.
As The Colonel, given the nickname due to his rank in the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, didn’t have any children with his wife, Simon is set to be entitled to inherit his entire fortune.
Sheridan now says he is looking forward to meeting his new grandchildren, Keira, nine, and Scarlette, four.
The commentator, known for his booming baritone, has covered more than 10,000 fights including 100 heavyweight title bouts.